press release
STUDIO10
56 Bogart Street Brooklyn NY 11206
Performance: April 20, 8:30-10:30 P.M.
Drums & Drones: Brian Chase, Ursula Scherrer and Erik
Zajaceskowvski
For Immediate Release:
Studio10 is pleased to announce a performance by Drums & Drones, the sonic/optic project of Brian Chase (sound), and Ursula Scherrer and Erik Zajaceskowvski (light). Born initially as Brian's solo venture it has expanded to include the video projection of Ursula and Erik as a key component of the experience. The inspiration for Drums & Drones originates from the Dream House, the ongoing sound and light installation by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela in TriBeCa, NYC. From here the notion came to investigate in detail the acoustic properties of drums and percussion.
The visual component of the performance investigates and reconstructs elements of found forms, whether in filmed objects or light itself; an architectural abstraction continues to emerge and re-evolve, and layers stack to reveal shifting fields of depth and perception. In this way, the projections function as 'moving paintings' designed to entrance and entice, and bring on what's been referred to as a 'drone state of mind.' The debut Drums & Drones album was released in February 2013 on the Pogus Productions label and features a CD as well as a DVD with the videos of Ursula and Erik.
Brian Chase is a drummer and composer living in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up on Long Island, he started taking private music lessons at a young age, leading to a BM from the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. Though he works in a variety of contexts, Brian is probably best known as a member of the group Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a band that has toured extensively across the world and has been nominated for three Grammys. On the new music side, Brian is active in the experimental music scene, largely based around the community of John Zorn's club, The Stone. In this setting, performance collaborations include those with Chris Cochrane, Anthony Coleman, Jeremiah Cymerman, Andrea Parkins, and Chris Pitsiokos, as well as Alan Licht, Thollem McDonas, and Robbie Lee, amongst more. As a composer and solo artist, Brian developed the Drums & Drones project. It began in 2007 from a deep interest in the Just Intonation tuning theory as inspired by the work of composers La Monte Young and Jon Catler; a basic aim of the project is to apply the principles of Just Intonation to drums and percussion. The debut Drums & Drones album was released in February of 2013 on Al Margolis's Pogus Productions label and features videos by NYC artists Ursula Scherrer and Erik Zajaceskowski. Presentations of Drums & Drones have taken place at the MCA Sydney, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Phill Niblock's Experimental Intermedia, David Linton's DistENDed Cinema, and Secret Project Robot in Brooklyn, amongst more. Some of Brian's additional recorded works include those with Karen O and the Kids: Where The Wild Things Are movie soundtrack, Nick Zinner's 41 Strings, Jon Catler's Fretless Brothers, saxophonist Seth Misterka, vocalist Karlie Bruce, percussion group Man Forever, Jeremiah Lockwood's Sway Machinery, and minimalist punk rock band The Seconds, as well as a solo 7" on In Context Music. Upcoming albums for 2014 include those with guitarist Alan Licht, and pianist Thollem McDonas. Influential drum and percussion teachers are and have been Susie Ibarra, Greg Bandy, and Michael Rosen. www.chasebrian.com
Ursula Scherrer: “It wasn’t about the perfection of the harmony, but about the inner movement in view of the infinity outside of time. The intuitive realization of the fleeting of all reality led to look for that which was seemingly irreal.”—Lancelot Lengyel. I am attracted to what is fleeting, what can’t be captured, what is past before it is even recognized. My work is less about what one sees than it is about the feeling, which it leaves behind. My aesthetic training began with dance, transitioned to choreography and expanded to photography, video, text, mixed media. Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Ursula lives and works in New York. http://ursulascherrer.com/
Erik Zajaceskowski runs the Secret Project Robot, a gallery/performance space in Bushwick. He has been a prominent fixture on the Brooklyn art and music scene starting with the Mighty Robot A/V Squad, an organization known for stunning visuals, concerts and parties during the late '90s/early 00's. Mighty Robot became Secret Project Robot in its Williamsburg location. SPR quickly became a community center for the arts and music scene, functioning as a large gallery and installation space used for shows and blockparties. SPR’s current location is in Bushwick where the space serves the community in similar ways.
Erik's video work has been a fixture and defining element throughout these spaces, truly setting the stage for what can be characterized as a D.I.Y., heterogenous, and downright fun style.
http://www.secretprojectrobot.org/secretprojectorobot/Home.html
Reviews:
"This stuff will put your brain into another space, and frankly, recordings that can reliably do that don't come down the pike every day." -Bruce Russell, The Wire
"All the videos share an oneiric feeling, visually relating to something in between abstraction and reality. What emerges then is the contemplative characteristics of the sounds, reinforced by their respective animations, creating a perfect symbiosis and reflecting the compositional qualities connected with visual and emotional consequences." -Neural.it
"It's either remarkable or boring, depending on how much you put into it. So of course is a Zen rock garden. Brian Chase has created something unexpected, no matter how it affects you. That is far from easy in these times." -Grego Applegate Edwards, classicalmodernmusic.blogspot.com
STUDIO10 is located at 56 Bogart Street (the Morgan Avenue stop on the L train) in Bushwick.
Gallery hours: Thursday through Sunday 1 - 6 pm or by appointment
Contact: studio10bogart@gmail.com (718) 852-4396 www.studio10bogart.com